Surprise, Surprise
by Gothic-Rainbow
Summary: From ordinary day to extrordinary day. Max wakes up, thinking her day is normal as hers can get. Then the Voice drops a bomb. Not the IggyGasman kind either. Read to find out more...
1. Covering Up and the Use of Cutlery

A/N: Hiya peeps! This is my first fic, so go easy on me, please. It was supposed to be a one shot, but I couldn't be asked to finish it, so it is now becoming a whatever-it-wants-to-be-shot. Hope ya likes it. If ya do, yay. If you don't, read it anyway.

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Crap, I hated crowds. They were all staring at me expectantly, the lights far too bright for my already sensitive eyes. I swallowed; nerves making it feel like butterflies in my stomach were looping the loop on a roller coaster.

_Don't be afraid of the unknown, Max. _

Good advice from the Voice, for once. Here goes nothing. Closing my eyes, I opened my mouth and started to sing.

**Earlier that day**

_Get up._

Nooo.

_Get. Up._

Five more minutes…

_MAXIMUM RIDE! GET UP NOW!!_

I yelped, and rolled out of bed, landing with an 'Oomph' on the wooden floor, the covers all around me. I groaned. Today was gonna be one of those days. The door to my room burst open and Fang, Angel, Nudge and Total ran in. Fang was by my side in an instant.

'Max? What happened? Are you okay?' I groaned again, and pulled some of the covers over my head.

'Um, Max? That cover doesn't…um, cover…a lot, ya know.' One of the shortest sentences I'd heard Nudge say. 'And Fang's right here.' I was glad I'd pulled the covers over my head, that way Fang and Angel couldn't see me blush, though knowing Angel and her mind reading she knew what I was thinking anyway. I heard her giggles, confirming what I thought.

'Tell Fang to stop looking then.' It came out slightly muffled as my face was pressed up on the warm wood floor and, ya know, I still had the covers obscuring my head. Another bout of giggles, from both girls this time, and Fang's presence near me disappeared. For a split second I felt - something. Sad? Then it was gone, replaced by sleepiness and annoyance. Why can't the Voice just leave me alone?

_Because, Max, today is a very important day._ I really couldn't be asked for this.

I don't care if the Queen of England is coming, or if I'm due to have tea with the President, why can't I lie in for once?!

_I just told you…_ the Voice annoyingly sang. _Now, get up._ A sharp pain flashed through my head, and I winced. Note to self: find way to beat the crap out of the Voice. 

_Max, that's impossible. I'm in your head._ Inwardly I smiled.

Exactly. You're in **my head…**

No response. What else? Total licked my ankle making me yelp again. I heard him chuckle. 'C'mon, guys, let's leave Max to get dressed. When she's stopped saying hello to the floor, that is.' I scowled at his blurred form walking through the doorway. Nudge and Angel followed. Fang paused before making his way to his room.

'You sure you're okay?' I found the edge of the covers and gave him a thumbs up. I saw his blurry figure leave and close the door, turning to go with the girls. Then I was alone.

_If you want to sleep this much I can make you pass out if you like?_ Well, almost alone.

Once I'd declined the tempting offer from the Voice (note the sarcasm), I showered and dressed. Feeling happier and more awake, I went downstairs after checking the other rooms and finding no flock. By now you must be slightly confused. Where are we exactly? In a house? Hotel? Where? The answer, my friends, is B) in a hotel. Where exactly the hotel was, on the other hand, I couldn't tell you. It was a nice hotel, four stars, and the manageress was especially kind. She was letting us stay, free of charge, providing the elder kids did a little work every now and then, from waiting tables to cooking to cleaning, once even gardening (let's just say we didn't water the plants with the hose pipe). We even got free food! Always a good in my book.

I lightly ran down the stairs, and for no apparent reason, jumped the last seven. I stood there for a moment, confused, then walked into the breakfast room. And stopped in confusion again. There were the kids sitting round the table, eating. That wasn't the shock. The shock was that were taking their time. Usually when we eat, we scoff it all in as fast as we can, like it'll sprout legs and run away. But there they were, chatting, enjoying it, taking time. Wow. Angel finally noticed me and smiled.

'Come on, Max, before it all gets cold!' She gestured to the seat next to her and I sunk into it, my jaw hanging somewhere around my feet, I think.

'Close your mouth, you'll attract flies.' Iggy said, scooping more scrambled egg onto his plate. How he knew my mouth was threatening to make its way through the floor, I'll never know, but I closed it. I just stared. Gazzy was using cutlery. I didn't think he knew what they were for! Angel looked at me, holding out some bacon.

'D'you want some?' As if I neede to answer that.

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A/N: So, waddaya think? Comments appreciated, constructive critisism always good, anything nasty said I will hunt you down and skin you alive. And if you think I'm joking, then think again. 


	2. Introducing The New Derren Brown, Angel

A/N: Chapter two, up and ready.

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'That was one of the best breakfasts I have ever had!' Gazzy belched and patted his stomach. 'And we have Iggy as a cook!' Nudge wrinkled her nose in distaste.

'Could you not be an animal please?' Gazzy just grinned.

'I am part bird after all.' Nudge threw a granola bar wrapper at him.

'Birds don't eat a lot, dumbo. And I think they have better manners than you.' Gazzy opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, a rumbling sound filled the air. Closing his mouth he grinned again. Nudge gave him a dirty look then promptly ignored him.

_Oooh, touchy._ I sighed.

Are you bi-polar?

…_What?_

I said-

_I know what you said; I just want to know why you said it. _I shrugged.

One minute you insult me and act all moody, the next you're a child! God, sometimes I think you're worse than the flock! Silence. Hello? H-hello? Voice?

I sighed. Like I said. A child. I closed my eyes for a minute and tilted my face to the sky, letting the sun warm it and the breeze tickle it. At the moment we were in California. I'd had a look when we'd come out that morning. California. Sun, sun, sun. And sand. But I was hoping we could bypass that this time.

I was sitting on a wall, my back to the beach, the others sitting on a bench underneath me. It really was heaven. I was lost in the moment, so when I felt a pair of eyes on me I immediately knew who they were. Fang. I kept my eyes closed for a while longer, before the intensity of his gaze made me shiver in the sun. Sighing I opened my eyes and looked at him.

'So where are we going?' He raised an eyebrow at me.

'Don't you have an idea of where you want to go? I think that's a first.' I gave him a withering look and he smirked. Angel piped up.

'Let's go to the beach!' Nudge, Gazzy and Angel all grinned, and even Total seemed happy about it. Iggy wasn't paying attention. He was tinkering with something. I think it used to be a Palm Pilot. Hell knows what 'customizations' he was giving it. I inwardly groaned. No, anywhere but the beach! Whenever we go to the beach something bad happens, whether it's me going all emo and deciding that I was gonna be a surgeon with myself as my first patient, Fang and Ari trying to kill each other and Fang nearly dying or me kissing my best friend while he's cut up and bruised from said death fight! No, going to the beach is a bad omen. And thanks, but I'm enjoying my day today, I don't want Erasers to come and crash the party. I shook my head at the others.

'Sorry, no can do. No beach.' Nudge and Gazzy's faces fell, but Angel got a determined look.

'But I wanna go to the beach.' I looked at her. Again I shook my head.

'Uh uh. Anywhere but the beach.' I saw Nudge and Gazzy brighten up at this. I was basically giving them permission to choose any where in California for us to go. Angel wasn't having any of it. She frowned.

'Max. I want. To. Go. To. The. Beach.' She said this as if she was pressing the matter. And she sounded kinda angry. I was taken aback.

'Sorry, Ange, but no. No means no. And that's that.' I saw anger flash through her eyes, but as quick as I saw it, it was gone. It was replaced by steely determination. And then I knew what she was trying to do.

**She was trying to control my mind.**

Suddenly, I was overcome by the urge to say "I changed my mind. Let's go to the beach.". I was shocked. More than shocked, I was gobsmacked. Angel, my baby, was trying to _control me_? The urge came again, repeatedly, in waves. I clenched my jaw and gripped the wall. All the sounds around me faded away as I concentrated on this mind battle. I could feel the urge, just say it, everything will be okay, and I wanted nothing more than to give in. But there was a part of me, in the back of my mind, that was stubbornly refusing to. And this bit was winning. The thoughts came faster and harder, I swayed on the wall. Angel had broken into a sweat. Apparently she wasn't used to anyone defying her mind control before. First time for everything, right? She pushed it again, and this time, it hurt. Suddenly, I was angry. In my mind I gathered up her message and threw it back to her. I saw her expression change from angry determination to shock and horror. I saw her stumble, her mouth in an 'o' of surprise. Then sound came back to me in a rush. We were both breathing hard, exhausted. Everyone else was quiet. Gazzy broke the silence.

'What was that?' I looked at him. He looked like Angel. Shocked, bewildered…and scared? Nudge had a similar reaction, as did Total, and when I looked at Fang, his face was a mask of curiosity, darting back and forth between me and Angel. Iggy was still tinkering with his toy. I looked back at the six year old.

'Yes, Angel,' I asked her, 'What was that?' Everyone turned to face her, excluding Iggy. She was still breathing hard, and now she was blushing.

'I…I tried…to convince Max into letting us go to the beach.' The last bit was whispered, but they heard her. Shock again crossed their faces. Fang looked at me.

'And you weren't.' I was still focusing on Angel.

'I weren't what?'

'Convinced.' I shook my head.

'No. I threw the thought back to her.' I saw surprise in his eyes.

'You deflected her attack?' I laughed. It was short and bitter.

'Yeah, I guess you could call it an attack.' Angel winced at the harsh tone. I jumped down from my perch on the wall and crouched in front of her.

'Do you want to know why I don't want to go to the beach? Hmm? Because every single time we do, something bad happens. Fang got hurt, you all got kidnapped, and I attempted DIY surgery. Do you really think that I want to go through any of that stuff again?' I waved a hand around us, 'This peace won't last, and I intend to enjoy it as much as I possibly can. Going to the beach will screw it up for us, understand?' I whispered harshly. I could feel the surprised gazes of the flock on me, but I kept my eyes on Angel. She nodded, and I saw tears in her eyes. 'Stop crying.' She dragged her arm across her eyes before the tears spilt. 'Take a deep breath.' She did, though it was jagged, and I saw her visibly calm. 'Good.' I stood back up, still watching her. 'Guys, pick a place you wanna go. Anyplace.' Nudge mentioned a sea life centre. I nodded, and motioned for her to lead the way. She got up and nudged Iggy.

'C'mon, Ig.'

'Wha-?' He was grabbed by The Gasman and Nudge who started dragging him along the boardwalk. Angel started walking along behind them.

'Angel.' She turned to face me, slightly…humbled, 'Don't do that again.' I gave her a small smile, which she returned. She caught up with Iggy and the rest. I sighed.

'Well, that was interesting.' Said a voice behind me. I gave a small smile.

'You don't know the half of it.' I said, glancing at him. He bent down so his face was level with mine and he was looking over my shoulder, and then whispered in my ear, 'I think you have another skill, Miss Ride.' His breath tickled my cheek and I could feel his voice reverberating through my back, sending shivers up my spine. Then he straightened up and walked over to the others. I stood there, feeling like I'd just battled for control of my mind. Again.

**What was happening to me?**

_That, my dear Max, is growing up. And the other…isn't even the beginning…_ I was frozen. Which was the Voice talking about? The feeling I just got when Fang was near me, or the fact that I just threw Angel out of my head when I haven't seen anyone do that before? I was so confused.

_Quick, Max, or they'll leave you behind._ I jerked out of my semi frozen state and decided that for now, I wouldn't think about either of my problems. I'd just enjoy the day as it came. Mind battles and all. Smiling properly I ran after the others. We had a sea life centre to go to.

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Little more fax here, subtle, but I'm not a fluffy person.


	3. Queues, thruths and a kinda tooth

A/N: I had some reviwes saying it was kinda confusing. I am sorry if it is. When I wirte it, I know what I'm talking...writing about, and I think you lot will know, too. If it gets too confusing, just say where and how you think it could be clearer, then I'll repost it. Hope you all like it : P

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Oh. My. Good. God.

I hate queues. I think everyone hates queues. They're just so…long. And slow.

'Maaax?' I sighed to myself. Not again… 'How long is this gonna take?' I looked down at the curly-haired Nudge at my side.

'Honestly, sweetie? I have no clue.' I looked back up at the line. 'I think it goes on forever…' She groaned. Gazzy jumped.

'Oooh! We're moving!!' We all took a step.

'Well. That got us far.' I glared at Fang. He was smirking at me, looking out of the corner of his eye, then went back to staring ahead. I sighed, and did an automatic 360. Angel had grabbed Iggy and ran ahead to the little rock pool near the information desk. She was squealing as she saw a crab and told Iggy. Her face was that of pure joy, and my heart started to swell.

_Be careful, Max. Appearances can be deceptive_. I groaned.

Yes, thanks, I know that! I snapped. What can I say, queues make me cranky. I swear I heard the Voice sigh.

_Have you already forgotten what Angel tried to do to you this morning?_ Involuntarily, I shuddered. How could I forget? My baby tried to take over my mind. That was something I don't think I'd ever forget, along with whitecoats, The School, Jeb, Ella and her mum, and cookies, of course. Then I remembered something else.

Hey, Voice?

_Yes, Max?_ It answered warily.

Did I develop a new skill, or something? I mean, I've never seen Angel fail at mind control before. I felt the Voice hesitate. The first weird thing involving the Voice. Just then I felt a hand on my arm and looked up to see Fang staring at me.

'C'mon, move up.' I took a couple steps forward then stopped. I went back into my mind convo with the Voice.

Well? I could feel the indecision on the Voice's part. It was bizarre. I'd never felt anything from the Voice before. Now I could feel its emotions? Kinda. The second weird thing.

_Max, if I tell you about your…abilities… promise not to get angry, and to believe me, no matter how far fetched it seems._Again, I felt hesitation from the Voice. Now I was worried.

Um, okay. I guess it can't get freakier than mutated humans with different avian DNA grafted into their body from eggs which caused them to grow wings and be kidnapped and tortured everyday of their waking lives. The Voice didn't remark on this, which was the third weird thing. Okay. Voice, now you are freaking me out. Tell me. Now.

Another sigh. _Okay. Max. You didn't develop a new skill._

I deflated. Damn. I was excited. Oh well.

_You uncovered an old one._

…

_Max?_

I stood there, not moving. My jaw had dropped like it had this morning. I had found an old ability?!

_Max? Talk to me. Max! MAX!_ I jumped.

Oh…sorry. Um, a-are you sure? Did I just stutter? In my head, I swear the Voice nodded.

_Yes, I am. You've had this ability since you were born. But…sometime in your childhood it was locked in your subconscious, which is why today it took so much of your energy to fight Angel._

But now I feel fine! It nodded again.

_Right now you feel fantastic, am I right? You feel better then after you've eaten, or slept, or after an adrenaline rush, or flying, yes?_ I thought about it, then realised the Voice was right. I felt…fantastic, was the only way to put it. I felt refreshed, clean, zingy, like a lemon. It was great. I went back to the Voice.

Yeah, I do actually. Why?

_This…gift, is a part of you, that even mutation couldn't change. When it was locked away, you locked away a part of yourself. Now that you let it out, even a little bit, you feel…more complete, I guess._ I started.

A little bit? You mean I'm more powerful than that? The Voice sounded shocked.

_Of course, Max. You're so much more powerful than that!_

But-I cut myself of as something else the Voice had said finally made it's way through to my brain. Wait…this is something 'mutation couldn't change'? What's that supposed to mean? The Voice shifted uncomfortably. How did I know that it was doing that?! Voice? Voice…answer me…Voice…I said menacingly in my head. And that is something I never thought I'd say. I felt the Voice take a deep breath.

_It means that even if you hadn't been turned into and 'Avian-American', you would still have this talent. You were born with it. Something mutation couldn't change. _Another pause._ And this isn't even the beginning…_

I couldn't do anything. I stood there stunned. I felt Fang grab my arm again, and suddenly we were at the counter. I snapped out of my reverie to focus on the task in hand: trying to convince this girl we're younger than we looked. We looked about 16, 17. We had to look 14. Our actual ages. Ironic, isn't it? The blonde, named Sandy according to her name tag, turned to us then did a double take as she saw Fang. Then there was this flirtatious grin on her face, and she half leaned on the counter at Fang, twiddling with her ponytail.

'Hello and how may I help you?' Maybe I was imagining the double meaning.

'Hello.' I said, and she was forced to tear her eyes away from Fang to look at me. 'Can we have six children tickets please?' Then I noticed Total standing next to Iggy. 'And a dog.' Sandy frowned.

'I'm afraid dogs aren't allowed in here.' Just as I was about to open my mouth, Fang leaned across the counter.

'You see, our friend over there is blind. That's his guide dog. We all came out for a fun day together. D'you think you could make that at all possible?' He flashed her a crooked grin and she nearly fainted.

'Sure…' She said weakly. I called the guys over to get their hands stamped. After they all had a little dolphin on the backs of their right hands, Sandy said that the first door on the right was the one we needed. Fang flashed her a grin again.

'Thanks.' Was all he said, and walked away. I slowly trailed after, gobsmacked at what had just taken place. Fang never smiled. And then he'd just smiled, twice. **At a stranger. **I didn't even get that from him. What the hell was going on today?!

_Jealous, Max? _It chuckled._ Today's a special day, Max._ What? _Today, many things are going to change. You included._

Again, I stood stock still. How many times I had done this now, I'd lost count.

Anymore bombshells you want to drop on me? I could feel the Voice give an evil grin.

_Not yet…_ I gulped. Then Angel stuck her head out of the doorway leading to the aquarium.

'Max! Come on!' She held her hand out to me. Go with the flow. I grabbed her hand. While everyone was enjoying themselves here, I'd be free to think. And, oh God, did I need to think. I smiled at Angel, and she smiled at me, a look of pure innocence and joy. Then she started leading me down a very dark tunnel.

Oh well, here goes…

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Reviwereviewreviewreviewreviewreview!!!! Please... (makes puupy dog/Bambi eyes)


	4. Jaws well, kinda

A/N: Here's the next chappie! In one of my reviews, someone asked 'What is a queues?' Take off the s, and you have queue, which is what Max and co. were standing in. See? Just thought I'd clear that up.

Sorry it took so long to update, I kept writing parts then deleting them becuase it was going all the way off from what I wanted to write about. It's here now, and on the right track.

Oh, and any information here is from Wikipedia and my own knowledge. If it's wrong, blame wikipedia, seeing as it doesn't have feelings and I do.

Now, enjoy!!

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The tunnel seemed to go on forever. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but for me it did seem that way. Guess being a paranoid teenage girl does that to you. We arrived at the first tank and a big sign said:

**Caribbean**

Angel squealed, and I looked down. Sand. The entire floor was covered with sand. There were aquatic creatures in water all around us, and sand. Anyone starting to see the one thing I was trying my best to avoid? Angel looked up at me and squeezed my hand.

'Don't worry, Max. We're not at the beach now.' I gave her hand a squeeze in reply. We met up with the others a little into the exhibit. Then she was off, dragging me around to all the tanks, saying something along the lines of 'Oooh, look, it's so pretty!', 'Max, look look look!' and 'There's one, there's one, ooh, and another…'. Each time. We'd been in there five minutes and it already seemed like a lifetime. Plus, it was small, dark, lots of people and not a lot of escape routes. My idea of heaven. Not.

Mainly lead by Nudge and Angel, we made our way from the Caribbean, to the Indian, the Rainforest, the Arctic (you could've hung meat in there), the Great Barrier Reef, and so on, and on, and on. After what seemed like years, but was most probably hours, we left the Swamplands of Asia and found ourselves standing in front of the biggest tank I could imagine. I could feel all the kids next to me, frozen in awe.

'Whoa…' Gazzy could hardly take it all in.

'That's big. That's very big.' Angel whispered, like we didn't know. Even Fang seemed impressed.

'Nice…' He looked it all over. The entire room had a - no other word for it - magical feeling to it, seeing as the water reflected onto the wals, giving it a blue colour and tranquill atmosphere. It was awesome. Then I realised it had been too quiet since we arrived. I sharply turned my head round to Nudge, expecting to see her gone. Instead I saw her…quiet. Her jaw was slack and her eyes were wide. There was no sound coming out of her mouth. Not a peep. She looked at me, then back at the tank, then me again, then the tank. I just smiled, and then motioned my head to the tank. I never thought I'd be grateful to an inanimate object for her speechlessness. She wandered over looking wobbly. Then Gazzy grabbed Iggy and followed, with a young Angel letting go of my hand and pressing her face against the glass. Fang came and stood beside me.

'Big isn't it?' I nodded.

'Yep.' He gave me a sideways glance.

'I noticed that you weren't too keen on the other exhibits. What's the dif here?' He motioned toward the tank. I kept staring ahead.

'Well,' I replied, 'this room is bigger. I don't feel so closed in. Also,' I hesitated. Would he think this was too weird? 'I feel calmer here. Like at the beaches. Except I don't think the Erasers are gonna come pouring in swarms any minute now.' I was still looking at the creatures in the tank. I heard Gazzy squeal, 'Cool! A shark!'

'Plus,' I added, my confidence sneaking up on me, 'I can name each creature in that tank.' Fang looked at me as if to say, ya right. A smile tugged at my lips. 'You don't believe me?' I could feel Fang staring at me.

'Truthfully? No.' I snorted. Unladylike, I know. My head nodded in the direction of the tank.

'Go on, then.' He looked at me with a slight frown. I rolled my eyes. _'Test me.'_ His eyes sparkled. I was challenging him, and he knew it. And Fangy-boy wasn't one to turn down a challenge. He looked back at the tank.

'Okay,' he pointed to a shark lying on the tank bed. 'What's that one?' I glanced at it, and smiled.

'That would be a nurse shark, the largest in the nurse shark family, also known as ginglymostoma cirratum. Kingdom: animalia, phylum: chordata, class: chondricthyes, subclass: elasmobranchii, order: orectolobiformes. It varies from yellow to light brown in colour, and may reach up to 4.3 metres in length. They are more commonly found about a metre from the surface, though some have been found a good 12 metres under. They are mostly nocturnal and eat crustaceans, molluscs, tunicates, and other fish, particularly stingrays.' I looked back up at him, a small smirk on my face. He looked incredulous.

'Did your Voice tell you that?' Nope, my Voice is refusing to communicate with me after it dropped the bombshell that my mind powers I used to beat Angel out of my mind I would've had if I was human, too, and that today my life is going to be tipped upside down through changes it refuses to tell me about AND that I'm supposed to have more than this one power that was supposedly hidden deep in my subconscious.

I shook my head, smiling slightly. 'No. Test me again if you don't believe me.' He pointed to a sea turtle. This was too easy.

'Chelonia mydas, more commonly known as the green sea turtle, is a large sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Kingdom: animalia, phylum: chordata, class: reptilia, order: testudines. Green sea turtles have a dorso-ventrally flattened body, a beaked head at the end of a short neck, and paddle-like arms well-adapted for swimming. Unlike the closely-related hawksbill turtle, the green sea turtle's snout is very short and its beak is unhooked. The carapace of the turtle is known to have various colour patterns that change over time. Hatchlings of this turtle, like those of other marine turtles, have mostly black carapaces and light-colored plastrons. Carapaces of juveniles are dark brown to olive, while those of mature adults are either entirely brown, spotted or marbled with variegated rays. Underneath, the turtle's plastron is hued yellow. Their limbs are dark-coloured and lined with yellow, and are usually marked with a large dark brown spot in the center of each appendage.  
The green sea turtle is known to grow up to one and a half meters long. While individuals have been caught that reached weights of up to 315 kilograms, average weight of mature individuals is around 200 kilograms. The largest green sea turtle ever recorded weighed 395 kilograms (871 lbs.) The species is known to live up to eighty years in the wild. It is also massively endangered, and palces like this are running a captive breeding program to help the population get back up to its previous numbers. They have been hunted by fishermen, eggs taken for food, unintentionally hurt by boats and nets, and generally abused, adding to the problem. The problem is being tackled, but at the moment aquariums are the only palce you can safely see these beautiful creatures.' I could imagine his face now. 'Lucky we didn't bet on it, right?' I couldn't help but grin. Apparently he thought I was a dumb blonde. I didn't even know if I was blonde! He just looked at me.

'How the hell did you know all that?' I shrugged. I was watching said turtle with interest.

'Turtles are one of my favourite creatures, so I know lots about them. Like penguins. Or koalas. Did you know that koala fingerprints are so like humans, that if a koala murdered a person, it would look like a human did it?' This time I looked at him. He was just staring at me, apparently impassive, but his eyes held bewilderment and shock. I chuckled, and looked back at the tank. The sea turtle was doing underwater backflips, prompting 'Ooohs' and 'Ahhhs' from the others. Show off turtle. I felt Fang turn away to look back at the tank.

'I didn't know you liked turtles.' Obviously.

'There's lots of things you don't know about me.' I saw his head swivel back to me in confusion. I gave him a small smile then walked to the tank, leaving Fang standing in the middle of the room.

The tank reached from floor to ceiling, and there was a little ledge where the base and glass meet. I sat in the corner of it, my back half against the glass, half against the hard wall, so I could see everyone. It made me smile, knowing that even though we were running for our lives, one of us can't see, and my baby might not be that baby I thought she was, we could still have a good time together.

Hell, even Fang was joining in. A bit. Kinda. Not at all. But still, the younger ones were enjoying themselves, and that's all that mattered. I was watching the rest of them, Fang apparently giving into temptation and joining Angel, Gazzy, Nudge and Total. Iggy was back to working on his newest creation. I smiled. See, we could have a good time without something unnatural happening. Just as I thought that, I felt someone staring at me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I gave an involuntary shiver. I glanced at Fang. He was still with the others, watching the glass. No-one else had entered, and the only other people here were too old or too young to be Erasers. Sighing, I looked back at the glass and promptly had a heart attack. Or nearly had one. There was a turtle, staring at me through the glass. Really close to my face. Just staring. It freaked me out, which is why I yelled and fell off my perch. Fang and the others turned to stare at me, now lying on the floor, staring back at this bizarre turtle.

_Relax, Max. It's not going to hurt you_. So the Voice was back? _I never left, Max._

I wish you would've. Can't a girl have a bit of peace and quiet on her own head? The Voice chuckled, something I felt rather than heard. It was like I was resting my head against a computer and it made that weird humming sound.

_Not this girl, at any rate._ I just sighed.

So what does the turtle want? I stood up and walked back to the tank. I looked into the turtles black eyes. I couldn't see anything, just my reflection.

_She wants to talk._ If I could've laughed I would've. But for some reason I had a feeling the Voice was deadly serious.

Really…and how do you propose we start this conversation?

_Soon, a staff member will come out and announce its feeding time. You must volunteer to feed these creatures._

And then she'll talk to me? The Voice scoffed, another unpleasant feeling.

_No, but she'll know you, as will the others._ I frowned.

Others? Sigh, courtesy from the Voice.

_Look behind the turtle Max._ I did. The same nurse shark Fang pointed at earlier was staring at me. So were some dogfish and a zebra shark. Not to mention a whole lot of tropical fish.

Umm, is there a reason as to why these finned fish are staring and creeping me the hell out? I _was_ actually getting quite creeped.

_There's no reason to be afraid, Max. They are perfectly harmless._ I scoffed. _Well, to you anyhow._

I looked back at the turtle. This time when I looked into her eyes I felt a stirring of emotion. A mixture of sadness, happiness, terror and anger. Confusing, seeing as I didn't have a reason to feel these things. But I did, as if I was the one feeling them. I was, wasn't I? The Voice chuckled.

_No, Max, these are not your feelings._ Huh? _They are the turtle's feelings_. Wha? How?

_Max, this is one of your dormant powers. You are an empath._ I'm like Nudge?_ No, Max, Nudge's power is different. She is a clairsentient, and has psychometry. She picks up left over vibrations of people, whereas you pick up how they are feeling now, whether it is angry, sad, happy or depressed. That is how you always know when something is off with the flock._ And there was me thinking it was all down to my brilliant leadership skills.

I was still looking at the turtle as the Voice told me this, and I could still feel the sadness wash over me, making me feel sad. Through my haze of emotion I could also feel recognition. This turtle knew me from somewhere. But it was a turtle, and this was the first time I'd seen one. Wasn't it? I tried to think of where I had seen this turtle before, why the fact that it had half of it's back left flipper missing seemed so familiar. A memory was drifting to the surface, one I had buried. Why couldn't I remember? It was almost there, almost within reach, I could just touch it-

'Max?' Dammit. It was gone, scuttling into a distant corner of my brain. I scowled. I wouldn't be remembering that memory anytime soon. Gazzy touched my arm.

'Are you okay? You kept staring at that turtle and you had a weird look on your face.' His blue eyes were filled with concern, and I let the scowl disappear with my memory and a smile take its place.

'Sure, I'm fine. Now-' Before I could continue a boy dressed in the same blue polo as the blonde bimbo at the front desk came out from a hidden door holding a bucket. About 17, 18, and unlike the blonde, I noticed that this boy was handsome. His polo definitely fitted him in all the right places, and you could tell he liked the outdoors. He was tanned, and had wavy blonde hair that reached to his shoulders. He had green eyes like grass, bright and inquisitive, and he looked around at the crowd with a smile.

'Who wants to volunteer to help feed the sharks?'

_Like him, Max?_ I inwardly scowled, because frankly, yes I did like him. _You won't mind some time alone with him then. _Huh?

Almost against my will my right hand shot up. Wait, it was! I scowled again at the Voice. It just chuckled.

_Anytime._

The boy looked at me and grinned. 'Okay, miss, I guess it's me and you.' My muscles relaxed and my arm dropped to my side instantly. The flock was staring at me now, Fang especially. I looked at them innocently.

'What?' They just stared. Like the turtle. I saw the boy beckoning to me. Smiling to the others I said, 'See you in a few.' Then was gone. Following the boy up some stairs I wasn't even listening to him as he explained what I was about to do. We finally stopped, and in front of me was a platform suspended above the tank. I gulped. He handed me a bucket containing some meat I could smell strongly with my enhanced sense of smell. I looked at it and nearly gagged. Camping food was fine, but great big chunks of bloody, raw meat? I turned vegetarian right then. The man motioned for me to step out onto the platform. I carefully shuffled along, grateful I was lighter than a normal human being. I looked down into the water, watching the sharks swim in slow circles underneath me. I swallowed again. I heard the Voice laugh, an all out laugh. It felt like my head was being pressed against a washing machine while it was on.

_Come on, Max, let's go feed the fishes._

_

* * *

_

So? Waddaya think? I put turtles in here because they're one of my fave animals, penguins too. Koalas are just cute and fuzzy and nusre sharks are damn lazy. But cool. I love animals!! goes looking forfrogs to keep as pets


End file.
